Obituary: Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Author of 'You May Want To Marry My Husband' Essay, Dies at 51

CHICAGO, IL — Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal has died at the age of 51 of ovarian cancer.

Krouse Rosenthal, 51, wrote about her terminal illness in a widely shared essay entitled "You may want to marry my husband" in the New York Times earlier this month.

The Chicago-based writer grew up in Northbrook and Lake Forest and is survived by her husband Jason, three children, Paris, Miles and Justin, sisters Katie and Beth and brother Joe, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

She was a best-selling author, essayist and creator of short films. She wrote more than 30 books for children, including "Duck! Rabbit," "Uni the Unicorn," "Chopsticks" and "I Wish You More." She also wrote an alphabetized memoir in 2005 entitled "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life," contributed to public radio, gave TED talks and created a line of keepsake journals, among other creative projects.

Her great gift was "making us understand that life’s seemingly small moments are really not so small,” her friend and agent Amy Rennery told NBC's "Today" show.

Check out some videos of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's work:

Top Photo: Trever Haldenby (CC)